Chiropractic Care
"Adjusting" to Your Pregnancy
Discovering the wonderful news that you are pregnant is both a time of joy and anxiety. Your body will begin to undergo many profound changes ranging from hormonal, biomechanical, and increased nutritional demands to physical and psychological changes. Unfortunately, as wonderful as it is to be pregnant, there are often some unpleasant and often uncomfortable changes in your body that go along with it.
Perhaps you were not anticipating the morning sickness, fatigue, low back pain, sciatica, headaches, and carpal tunnel syndrome. And now, having this wonderful new life evolving inside of you is making you think twice about taking any medication to help alleviate these discomforts. So, what do you do?
Fortunately, there is a powerful and safe solution to many of these pregnancy-related conditions: Chiropractic care! According to many scientific studies, roughly one-half of all mothers-to-be suffer from low back pain, and that alone should be enough to motivate every expectant mother to focus on prevention. Additionally, women who have suffered from low back pain prior to becoming pregnant, those that have physically demanding jobs, and surprisingly enough, younger women, are at an even greater risk of suffering from low back pain during pregnancy.
So, why does pregnancy create such intense low back pain? Both Doctors of Chiropractic and Medical Doctors agree that it is associated with a condition called sacroiliac joint dysfunction (often referred to by chiropractors as SI subluxation). A subluxation is a misalignment or restriction of movement that occurs in a joint and creates irritation to the nerves and other pain sensitive structures in the surrounding areas.
The sacroiliac joints are created by the joining of the sacrum (the triangular bone that sits above the tailbone, the coccyx) and the bones that are on either side of the sacrum known as the inominate bones. There is a right SI joint and a left SI joint, and together with the joint in the front of the pelvis known as the pubic symphysis, these three joints create what is referred to as the pelvic girdle.
SI subluxations, as well as other subluxations associated with pregnancy, are both hormonally and biomechanically induced. Progesterone and estrogen are the two principle hormones responsible for maintaining a healthy pregnancy. One of progesterone’s primary functions during pregnancy is to decrease smooth muscle tone and one of estrogen’s primary functions is to relax the joint capsules, therefore allowing more “play” in the joints of the body. In addition, another hormone known as relaxin, softens the ligaments that hold the pelvic bones together.
This hormonal effect of relaxation is important in that it allows, among other things, for the pelvis to open sufficiently during delivery so that the baby’s head and shoulders can pass through the birth canal. Yet, it also undermines the proper alignment of the sacrum and adjacent iliac bones producing subluxations during pregnancy.
Loosening of the usually firm joints under hormonal influences combined with the weight gain associated with pregnancy leads to changes in posture, weight bearing, and the degree of spinal curvature. Furthermore, during pregnancy, there is a stretching and weakening of the abdominal muscles, which are instrumental in maintaining optimal posture, and this further aggravates postural problems. These factors may cause additional low back and pubic pain, and in an attempt to try to stabilize the joints and keep them “locked” during walking, the mother-to-be will often assume the characteristic “duck waddling gait” of late pregnancy.
However, even with the “locking” of the joints, there is still increased stress applied to the joints, nerves, and discs of the low back. Resultant degenerative changes and “slipped” discs are potential and painful. Thus, conditions such as sciatica (pain, tingling and/or numbness down the back of the leg) and meralgia paresthetica (pain, tingling and /or numbness in the front or side of the thigh) are also commonly seen during pregnancy.
Although subluxations of the low back and pelvis are an inherent part of pregnancy, compensatory subluxations often occur in the neck (cervical spine) and the mid back (thoracic spine) due to postural changes. It is not uncommon during pregnancy to suffer from neck pain, pain between the shoulder blades, pain in the mid back and rib cage and even headaches.
Compression of the nerves in the neck can create pain, tingling and numbness in the shoulder, arm and hand and can cause brachial neuralgia. Chiropractic physicians may detect and correct subluxations in the neck and alleviate this problem. Carpal tunnel syndrome that occurs in approximately 20% of all pregnancies may also present with similar symptoms such as painful tingling and numbness in the wrist and hand. Subluxations can occur in any joint in the body and during pregnancy it is not uncommon for the carpal bones in the wrist to misalign. Subluxation together with increased swelling in the hands and feet which commonly occurs in the later stages of pregnancy often cause compression to the Median Nerve in the wrist resulting in carpal tunnel syndrome. Chiropractic care is usually very successful in addressing this problem.
So, while a pregnant woman adjusts to her new body during her pregnancy, it is important for her to learn and understand the benefits that chiropractic adjustments may offer in terms of improving her overall health as an expectant mother.
First of all, chiropractic physicians are the only doctors licensed to diagnose and correct subluxations to reduce and eliminate the low back pain and other neuromusculoskeletal symptoms associated with pregnancy. You should look for physicians who have completed the three year post-doctorate degree to specialize in maternity and pediatric care (this degree is known as a Diplomate of the International Council on Chiropractic Pediatrics, D.I.C.C.P.).
Second, chiropractic offers a drug-free approach to pain reduction. Obviously, it is not ideal for pregnant women to take unnecessary medication. The risks to the mother and unborn child from the use of medication during pregnancy and labor are well documented. Chiropractic provides relief without the worry that comes from taking medication, and the indexed literature fails to report even one adverse incident related to chiropractic adjustments on pregnant females.
And finally, scientific studies prove that chiropractic works! Not only has chiropractic care been proven effective in eliminating pregnancy-related back pain, but also expectant mothers who receive chiropractic care are less likely to suffer from back pain during labor (the dreaded “backlabor”). Even more appealing is the fact that chiropractic adjustments during pregnancy have also been shown to lessen labor pain and shorten the duration of labor.
By this time you are probably wondering, “What is a chiropractic adjustment”? The chiropractic adjustment is a gentle procedure where the Doctor of Chiropractic applies light pressure to the joints of the spine (or other parts of the body) to restore normal motion and alignment which in turn decreases stress on the nervous system and decreases pain and muscle spasm.
Chiropractic physicians who specialize in maternity care will often have special adjusting tables for the pregnant mother so that she can lie on her stomach without any pressure so that her spine can be examined. There is even a special non-invasive and painless adjustment that can be performed by certified chiropractic physicians that has been very effective in helping breech babies turn into the correct position for a vaginal delivery so they could avoid a cesarean section.
As important as it is to detect and correct spinal subluxations during pregnancy, it is just as important to continue to focus on prevention during the postpartum period. After the birth, improvement in spinal function and structure is generally attributed to the loss of weight and recovery of ligaments and muscle to their normal tensile strength. Several months may elapse before these fibrous structures recover and if the bones these ligaments and muscles support are still misaligned, subluxation may be a long-lasting problem.
To avoid postpartum back pain, prevent subluxations with chiropractic checkups. Have your chiropractor teach you rehabilitative spinal and abdominal strengthening exercises and proper back-safe baby lifting and carrying techniques. Also, if you are nursing your newborn, make sure that you do so while positioned properly so you do not put unnecessary stress on your spine.
Remember, pregnancy should be a time of health and happiness! Don’t waste another minute suffering from pain or discomfort during your pregnancy. Be proactive! Work with your local chiropractic physician who has specialized training in maternity care and experience the quality of life you and your unborn child deserve!
